Has The Movie ‘Taken’ Really Caused Americans To Avoid Travel In Europe? Liam Neeson Says It Has

The Taken movie franchise seems to have had an unintended affect on Americans who enjoyed watching the action movies: they don’t want to travel to Europe after seeing them. According to the star of the three movies, Liam Neeson said he has received letters from American fans saying they no longer wish to fly over the pond to visit Europe.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Neeson said he received a letter from a Texas schoolteacher who said the parents of 40 out of the 60 students that were going to travel to Europe refused to let their children go on the trip because they had seen Taken 2. The Taken franchise usually shows a hostage being taken in each of its films.

Neeson, who revealed this tidbit on The Graham Norton Show while promoting the third installment of the franchise, said he was wary of doing the third one and said he would only do it if there wasn’t another kidnapping.

“I said I wouldn’t do a third one if someone got taken. It’s insulting to an audience as well as me. It’s a good storyline, and I’m the hunted instead of the hunter.”

Even though the movies have hardly received critical acclaim, they have done well at the box office. According to the entertainment website Rotten Tomatoes, the first Taken, which was released in 2009, took in about $145 million dollars. The second one, Taken 2, made a respectable $139 million when it was released in 2012.

“It’s a luxury I’m still working at this age. The hero in action movies is usually mid-30s. I’ll send those scripts straight back, but a week later I’ll get a new one through and the main character is suddenly in his mid-50s. I feel good though and do my press-ups every day. All the fight scenes and punch ups I do myself. But a stuntman does any jumps through windows.”

Neeson has been in several different film genres, including a brief appearance in a comedy made by Stephen Merchant. As reported in the Inquisitr, the cameo came about because Neeson told Merchant how much he liked his work.

The Irish actor said he may have a couple more action films in him, but he will then have to retire from playing a tough guy.

“The way I see it, this came to me relatively later than most and I’ve been having a blast. I’m an ex-boxer and been shooting these physical scenes with amazing fight choreographers. I’ve been like a kid in a toy shop. There’s probably a couple more films in there. I’ll give it two more years and I’m out. I’m 62 for God’s sake.”